Grandfathers get remembered in stories — the war he never talked about, the fish that grew every summer, the workshop where he could fix anything except his refusal to see a doctor. His obituary is the family's chance to write down the outline of those stories while everyone still tells them the same way. Do it plainly and warmly, and it will be read aloud at reunions for years.
If your grandfather served in the military, put it near the top: branch, years or era, and rank or unit if known. For many men of his generation, service was the hinge of their whole story — and getting it in the obituary matters practically, too, since it supports requests for military funeral honors. If he farmed, mined, built, drove, or manufactured, name the work specifically. "He drove a bread truck for thirty-four years and knew every back road in three counties" is the kind of sentence grandchildren memorize.
Like grandmothers, grandfathers carry a second name — Papa, Pop-Pop, Grandad, Opa, Abuelo — and it belongs in the first paragraph, because it is who he actually was to the people crying at his service. Count the generations he leaves behind; a long survivor list is not a formality, it is the measure of the thing he built.
Three templates follow — traditional, brief for the paper, and one in the grandchildren's voice. Copy, fill in the blanks, and edit freely. Or use the guided writer below: answer what you can about him, skip what you can't, and it will compose a complete, dignified draft you can polish with the family.
Fill-in-the-blank templates
Copy a template, then replace each [bracketed detail] with your own. Cut anything that doesn’t fit — these are starting points, not rules.
Traditional obituary for a grandfather
[Full Name] — "[Grandpa name]" to his [Number] grandchildren — passed away on [Date] at the age of [Age], in [City, State].
He was born [Birth Date] in [Birthplace] to [Parents' Names]. [If applicable: He served in the U.S. [Branch] during [Era/Years], and was proud of it in his quiet way.] He worked [Number] years as a [Occupation], married [Spouse's Name] in [Year], and together they raised [Number] children on [what — e.g., "hard work, good humor, and Sunday dinners"].
He could [his legendary skill — e.g., "fix anything with a motor"], he never missed [what he never missed — e.g., "a grandchild's graduation"], and he told the same [Number] stories for fifty years because we kept asking for them.
He is survived by [Spouse, if living]; his children, [Names]; [Number] grandchildren; and [Number] great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by [Names and relationships].
Services with [military honors, if applicable] will be held at [Time] on [Date] at [Location]. Memorials may be made to [Charity].
Short newspaper obituary for a grandfather
[Last Name], [First Name] "[Nickname]", [Age], of [City], died [Date]. U.S. [Branch] veteran; retired [Occupation]. Husband of [Number] years to [Spouse]; father of [Names]; "[Grandpa name]" to [Number] grandchildren. Services [Time], [Date], [Location].
From the grandchildren — remembering our grandfather
Our [Grandpa name], [Full Name], died on [Date], at [Age]. He would want us to mention that he lived through [what he lived through — e.g., "a war, six presidents he argued with, and forty Michigan winters"] and complained seriously about only one of them.
He taught us to [what he taught — e.g., "bait a hook, change a tire, shake hands like we meant it"]. He kept [what he kept — e.g., "peppermints in his shirt pocket"] and never once ran out. His workshop smelled like [sawdust/oil/pipe smoke] and every good decision any of us ever made was tested out loud in it first.
He leaves behind [Spouse, children, and all of us] — [Number] grandchildren and [Number] great-grandchildren who will be telling his stories, badly but faithfully, forever.
Join us at [Time] on [Date] at [Location] to send him off properly.
Tips for writing a grandfather’s obituary
His grandfather-name (Papa, Pop, Opa) belongs in the first line, not a footnote.
Military service near the top: branch and era — it may also matter for honors at the service.
Name the trade and the years; work was often how he said everything.
One repeatable story or saying of his will do the work of ten adjectives.
Count the full living legacy: children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren.
Or let the writer compose it for you
The guided writer below is pre-filled with fictional sample details so you can see how it works — replace them with your grandfather’s. It composes a complete obituary in your browser, free and private.
Write a grandfather's obituary
Answer what you can and skip what you can’t — every field is optional. Composed entirely in your browser; nothing you type is uploaded.